Brotherhood
by BananaDuck
Summary: Jake was bouncing as he spoke. “I’m a big brother!” “You are?” Harry asked him. Jake nodded as he helped Seth to his tiny feet. “Yep! Leah said I could have him!” ONESHOT. Set after Breaking Dawn. Seth always thought of Jake as his big brother...


It was Edward who brought it up. It _was_ kind of strange. Neither Quil, nor Embry followed him and they were Jake's best friends…

"Why did you?" he'd asked.

_Nobody_ had directly asked him that. Jake wondered, but he didn't bother himself with asking. Leah didn't really care why, she just knew that she was free of Sam and that was all that really mattered to her. Her worry for him was a ridiculous façade. Jake knew it too. He was the one who came because he wanted to.

"It's a long story…" Seth had replied.

"I've got time. Besides, Alice shanghaied Bella into going away for a "sisterly bonding day" and told me I couldn't come. I'm bored."

Seth laughed. "It'll give us something to do, I guess…"

At that, his mind jumped back, not to the confrontation with Sam, but as far back as he could remember… To his childhood…

_It was the first memory he had. He couldn't remember too much, he was about two years old—three tops—at the time, but he could remember the feeling of a hand—Jake's hand—pulling him towards the small house that was gigantic. He remembered slowly climbing the stairs. He heard Jake's father in the kitchen. Then, his father's voice…_

Edward patted him on the shoulder.

That part alone was one of the main reasons he tried not to think about that moment. It was too hard to remember his dad without wanting to cry. Crying signified weakness. That's what Sam told him. Seth didn't need further reasons for Sam to try to exclude him—to leave him behind. Being the youngest—until Collin and Brady came in—thus made him the smallest. Smaller meant weaker. He never got the bigger stuff; Sam didn't want to jeopardize the missions by using the "kids" of the group…

Kids… _They were only kids back then. He, Jake, and Leah were always having play-dates while Billy and Harry talked and went fishing... He remembered walking inside, being pulled into the kitchen by his arm. There were three men seated at the table: Jake's father, Seth's, and a man who'd come to the reservation many times, but he had never learned the name of. Jake's older sisters were in the living room with a quiet brown-haired girl, the daughter of the man whose name he didn't know._

"_Daddy," Jake said then. The three men didn't seem to hear him, though the girls looked up from their game for a moment at the noise, before resuming it again. "Daddy, Uncle Harry, Uncle Charlie! Guess what!" Jake yanked on his father's pant leg._

_Seth took note of the third name, which he presumed belonged to the third man. Billy looked down at them._

"_What, Jake?" he said in a kind tone. Seth liked Billy. He was funny and he made good spaghetti. He then made to sit down, finding something interesting about the straps of his sandals._

_Jake was bouncing as he spoke. "I'm a big brother!" he said proudly._

"_You are?" Harry asked him. Jake nodded as he helped Seth to his tiny feet._

_Seth looked up at Jake as he spoke joyfully to the men at the table. "Yep! Leah said I could have him!" He turned to Seth then. "Come on Seth, let's go play in my room!" he told him, and then dragged him down the hallway talking of trucks._

This was one of Seth's favorite childhood memories. He remembered Jake explaining to him that he was his big brother and that he would always be his big brother. They'd be best friends forever, he said…

_He remembered his father coming in and taking him home for a bath and bed. He heard him scolding Leah in the other room. He heard him tell her that she wasn't allowed to give her little brother away. Leah was grounded for two whole days, whatever grounded was. Seth didn't pay much attention to that though, he just was happy that he'd gotten the big brother he'd always wanted._

_After the summer ended, Jake went to school during the day. Seth was sad when he realized that it meant that he'd have to play by himself while everybody was gone. He silently hoped that Jake wouldn't forget him._

_Jake's first day at Kindergarten was a success. He'd made a friend named Quil, and he always came home with new stories of recess and tried to teach Seth what he'd learned that day. Seth was excited for the day _he'd_ start Kindergarten… He wanted to go to school so he could be just like his big brother._

_As the years went by, they grew apart. Jake was busy with homework and friends; he never seemed to have time to hang out with him anymore, especially when he started high school. He and Quil had made another friend, Embry. Now there was definitely no room for Seth. By Jake's sixteenth birthday, Seth was barely acknowledged by him anymore._

_He put up with him when Billy invited everyone over for a get-together, but that night, all Jake's attention went to Bella, the girl he recognized as the quiet friend of Jake's older sisters, from the memory of long ago. Seth tried to get Jake's attention from her as much as he could, but it didn't work very well. Jake was nice about it, he pretended like he was paying attention to him. It was almost like old times again, but then he saw Jake watching her out of the corner of his eye and knew that it would _never _be like old times again._

_Seth was determined to get his friend back and he tried. Jake didn't mind when he hung around him at school. He even talked to him on occasion. Then something changed…_

_One day Jake stopped coming to school. Billy said he was sick, but that wasn't it and Seth knew it. When he came back from being sick, Jake looked sad. More than that, he looked mad. It wasn't like him… What illness could make your personality change like that? Jake was really mean to Bella now and Seth felt bad for her. Sure, he wasn't fond of her usurping all of Jake's attention, but that didn't mean he didn't like her. She was a nice girl and she seemed really sad when Jake started to ignore her._

_He remembered seeing her sitting outside Jake's house in her truck one evening. He could see her as he walked down the street. She looked different. Sad… Really sad. Like her puppy had just been run over kind of sad. It wasn't just her either. He ignored Quil too. Seth was angry at him. He didn't understand why he suddenly hated the two people he'd ditched him for. He suspected it had something to do with Sam Uley and his friends, but he knew nobody would listen to him on that one. Sam was a good guy. But why was it that once Jake (and his other friend, Embry, too) became friends with Sam, he suddenly couldn't be with his old friends anymore?_

_Out of nowhere, suddenly Jake was friends with Bella again. Quil was upset for awhile, then he was in the group too! Seth had no idea what was going on, but he was hurt that he was left out. Everyone left him on his own._

_A few weeks went by. It looked like Jake was mad at Bella again. She'd stopped coming to the Rez. Seth didn't understand _any_ of this. Soon after they stopped speaking, Seth's mom let him stay home from school. He had a fever and hurt all over. His stomach felt like it was being turned inside out each time he threw up. He turned off the lights and tried to get some sleep, but the pain didn't seem to be letting up. He would swear later that something was outside his window, but his mother just gave him some painkillers and told him to rest._

_The next day wasn't any better. If anything, it was worse—much worse. As the week went by, he felt sicker and sicker. By the middle of what would be his second week of illness, he got up to go to the bathroom and noticed a few strands of hair brush against the ceiling. Quick calculation in his head told him that that would make him at least a foot taller than he was before. Had he really grown over a foot in a _week_?_

_He would've fainted if Leah hadn't come in to pick a fight with him right then. He wasn't sure what she was mad at him for; she might've said something about him giving her whatever he had._

Bella had come home by that point and Seth left so he could focus on his story.

'That is if you still wanna hear it,' he told Edward in his head.

Edward gave a short nod and Seth went outside for a walk while he continued.

"_I've been sick for a week, you blockhead! Why'd you have to get me sick??" she'd screamed._

_They were yelling at each other one minute and the next he felt a kind of exploding sensation? He didn't know how to explain it, one minute he was yelling, the next he was growling, he was on all fours. But something was off and he knew it immediately. He heard all sorts of voices, not with his ears but with his mind. Someone was saying his name. Lots of people were saying his name. Leah was screaming and then she kind of… Poofed. Seth didn't quite know what happened. One minute she was his sister and the next she was… A wolf?_

_His scream came out as a howl. A howl? The voices were saying his name again._

'_Seth. Calm down.'_

'_It'll be alright, buddy.'_

'_Somebody shut him up.'_

'_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???'_

_Six voices now, simultaneously, 'LEAH??'_

_These voices were making him dizzy. Seth looked down. Where his hands should have been there were paws..._

_The next thing he knew was being prodded awake by Jacob. When he opened his eyes, he still felt different. The paws were still there. Jake morphed before him, just like he'd seen Leah do before. Seth's scream was a roar._

'_Calm down, kid. You're alright. I'll explain it all to you, just calm down.'_

"_Jake?" It came out as a growl but he seemed to understand. Seth had turned into a monster… Jake was a monster… Leah was a monster… That last one seemed plausible._

'_Haha. She'll like that. No not a monster, Seth. It's okay. We'll explain.'_

'_Jake? What's going on?' Quil?_

'_He awake?' Embry?_

'_Yeah, wanna help me explain? Where's Sam?' Jake?_

_Jake-Wolf had left for someplace. Seth couldn't move._

'_Explaining to Leah. He felt he owed it to her. We've got it.'_

_What the hell was happening to him?_

'_You're a werewolf, Seth.'_

_WHAT?_

'_Way to scare him, Embry. Calm down, Seth.' Quil's… Voice… Was kind._

'_Well, he is…'_

'_Shut up…'_

'_Guys, cool it.' Jake-Wolf was back. He had some clothes in his mouth._

'_Sorry, Jake.' Embry…_

'_Go back to your patrol. I'll take care of him…' Seth wasn't sure he like the sound of that. Take _care _of him?_

_Jake laughed and took over the…explaining then. 'We can read each other's thoughts. That's why you can hear us,' He told him. 'It's a lot easier to show than it is to tell, so pay attention.'_

_Jake started to think. To remember. And Seth could hear? See…the whole thing. Sam. Emily. Leah. He'd wondered why Leah was so upset back then… What Sam had done to her… Then Paul and Jared had transformed. Then Embry. Then Jake. Then Quil. And now Seth and Leah._

'_Why were you surprised about Leah?'_

'_Girls aren't supposed to transform. Bit of a shock there…'_

'_Oh…'_

_Jake went on to explain the legends they'd always been told but never understood. All the rules. The weird quirks, like imprinting. Then he taught Seth how to transform back to his human self._

_It was a weird feeling._

"_I know it's weird. I'm still getting used to it…" _

_He and Jake dressed and then he explained that Seth had to be careful with his temper._

"_Is that why you and Bella couldn't be friends?"_

_Jake was quiet for awhile…"Yeah. She figured it all out though."_

"_So why aren't you friends now? Is she not okay with it?"_

"_I don't wanna talk about it…"_

_But later, Seth saw it in his memories. He never got angry. Actually, Seth was happy that the Cullens came back—a fact he never thought about in wolf form—because he had his brother back now._

Seth didn't find it _as _awkward now. It just took some getting used to. He stashed his shorts by a tree and transformed. There was no reason to patrol anymore, but he'd found that he missed it… It was actually kind of therapeutic to him now.

He could smell as he ran by, Edward, Bella and Nessie were in the little cottage while Jake took the long way home, walking—in human form no less. Seth shook his head with a laugh and kept running. Edward came to the window and waved as he passed. The look on his face told him that he'd been listening and to continue. Seth skipped the scene in the clearing as Edward was there, and continued right after the battle with the newborns.

_Later that week, when telling them all, for the umpteenth time, what had happened in the clearing, Seth was gloating a bit. The others pointed out, once again, that it wasn't a single handed victory, but that "he did good." Their tone wasn't to his liking but that didn't matter much when Jake took him aside._

"_Thanks, kid. For protecting her."_

"_Anytime Jake! I like Bella. Edward's not so bad either…" Jake rolled his eyes at the last part but looked at him again._

"_You did good, Seth. I'm proud of you."_

"_Really?" Jake nodded and hobbled away on his crutches._

_He didn't need them anymore, but if he didn't use them for at least one more week, people would start wondering. He watched Leah follow him to the beach before shaking his head and going home._

_When he got home, there was a letter in the mail pile from Edward and Bella. The look of it screamed wedding invitation. The invitation itself was frilly. Alice probably picked it out and wouldn't take no for an answer. A little envelope fell from the center. From Edward._

_Seth,_

_Thank you so much for all your help in the clearing. I couldn't have done it without you. I don't think there will ever be a way for me to repay you, my gratitude is eternal. If you ever need anything please don't hesitate to ask._

_If I have gained nothing else from this, I feel honored to have gained you as a friend._

_Edward._

_He smiled and called him up to thank him. Who would have thought it? A vampire and a werewolf, best friends… It was almost laughable._

_His mother told him about Jake's disappearance later that night. Seth immediately went to try and contact him but received a strong 'Go away and leave me alone' thought from his mind. It hurt to lose his big brother again. He'd only just gotten him back…_

He had to pause for a minute there. It had really hurt him when Jake just up and left like that. He was glad to have him back, but it was still hard to remember him being gone. He skipped to the confrontation with Sam now. Edward already knew what happened in between.

_Seth watched as Jake disappeared into the forest._

'_We'll go on without him.' Sam instructed._

'_But what if he fights with them?'_

'_Then we'll do what we have to do.'_

'_You mean fight him? He's our brother.'_

'_And if he sides with our enemy, it makes him one of them.'_

'_I won't fight him.'_

'_You won't have to, Seth. I will.'_

'_No. You won't.'_

'_Seth—'_

'_NO!!'_

_They couldn't make him side against his big brother. He'd lost him so many times, it wasn't gonna happen again. Never. Seth turned his back on Sam and the others and ran after Jacob. He was pretty far ahead so he called to him once he reached the edge of the forest…_

Seth was about to pass the little cottage for the third time when he saw Edward standing outside. He nodded. He understood now. Edward nodded toward the house and Seth transformed and dressed before going inside. Edward had fixed some dinner for him.

"Thanks, man."

"Anytime," Edward said. His forehead furrowed. "Something is still bothering you though."

A memory of Jake and Nessie floated through his head without permission. "Umm."

"The fact that he imprinted?"

"He's gonna leave me again. I'm always gonna be ten steps behind him." He said after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes.

"Is that what's been eating you?" Seth jumped.

"Jake? You heard all that?"

"I'm not deaf…"

"No, I thought you'd left."

"I did leave…then I came back."

"Sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"I should have told you. I'm just gonna miss you when you all leave," He knew Jake would go with them. "And I can't come with."

"No you can't," Jake agreed. "But somebody's got to keep tabs on these yahoos for me. You'll be okay, kid. I know it. It'll happen for you too, someday."

"Yeah I guess…" Seth sighed. "I'm going for a run. See you guys later."

"And Seth?" Jake called after him.

Seth looked over his shoulder, "What?"

"You know I'll always be your big brother."

Seth smiled at him before heading into the woods to transform.

He wasn't really sure where he was going, he just kept running. He changed back for a minute in Southern Seattle to call his mom. Jake had told her where he went, but she warned him to be home by midnight. He hung up the phone and wandered into a nearby drugstore for a soda.

He wasn't paying much attention as he walked and smacked into someone, knocking her to the floor. He looked briefly at the tiny redhead and her scattered magazines before dropping to his knees to help her.

"Sorry about that," he said stacking her magazines into a pile and helping her up. "I wasn't looking where I was going…"

"It's okay," she said. "Neither was I."

Seth continued perusing the soda aisle, not noticing that she was following him. He turned to grab a soda from the middle shelf, nearly knocking her over again in the process.

"Holy crap!" he cried. "You startled me there."

"You look familiar. Have we met?"

"Uh… I don't think so…"

"Sorry, you just looked familiar. I'm Lizzie."

He looked down into her eyes for the first time. There must've been a sudden change in temperature because his arms sprouted goose bumps. Her eyes were a soft brown. Her light skin looked like someone had sprinkled cinnamon all over her face and arms.

"Seth."

"Nice to meet you, Seth."

"You too."

She smiled then and devastated his whole world. He finally understood what Jake and Quil had told him… What Edward had meant once when he'd said 'Love for us… It's unchangeable, forever. Kind of like your imprinting.' It all made sense now.

Maybe Jake was right. He would be okay…

But first, he needed to get her number.


End file.
